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Test scores delayed: 2026 rankings for Georgia do not yet include English Language Arts scores, which will not be released by the Georgia Department of Education until winter 2026.

Cottrell Elementary School

Q: Is Cottrell Elementary School a good school?

Cottrell Elementary School ranks 698 th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

698^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,219 Georgia Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Georgia elementary schools

Summary

Cottrell Elementary School in Dahlonega, GA, serves 583 students in grades PK-5 as part of Lumpkin County Schools, with a student-teacher ratio of 14.5 and about 61% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Cottrell has experienced a significant shift in its academic standing over the past decade. Once ranked among the top 15% of elementary schools in Georgia (87th percentile in 2017-2018), the school has steadily declined to the 43rd percentile in the 2025-2026 school year—its lowest ranking in available data. This places it behind both Blackburn Elementary School (69th percentile) and Long Branch Elementary School (59th percentile) within the district. The most striking concern is 3rd-grade mathematics, where only 33.4% of students are proficient—dramatically below the district average of 51.4% and nearly 30 points behind Blackburn's 63.2%. Interestingly, 4th and 5th grade math scores are much closer to district averages, suggesting a possible transition challenge for students entering 3rd grade. Science performance in 5th grade (35.5%) also trails the district (44.6%) and state (44.2%).

Despite these academic challenges, Cottrell shows notable strengths. The chronic absenteeism rate of 11.7% is well below both the district (17.1%) and state (17.7%), reflecting strong family engagement around attendance. Per-student spending has increased 23% over three years to $14,164—nearly identical to Blackburn's $14,172, yet outcomes differ significantly, raising questions about resource allocation. The school's historical success demonstrates its capacity for high performance, and with strong attendance and increasing investment, Cottrell has a solid foundation to address its instructional challenges and reverse the downward trend.

583

Students ?

14.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,164

Per pupil spending ?

60.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

220 Pine Tree Way
Dahlonega, GA 30533

(706) 864-3254

District: Lumpkin County

Racial breakdown:

White:

86.3%

Hispanic:

8.7%

Two or more races:

3.8%

See top rated Georgia elementary schools

Compare Cottrell Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 85th percentile in 2016 → 43rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Georgia average (38% vs 47% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 42 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school38%

District avg46%

Georgia avg47%

698^th of 1,219

Georgia public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▼ down 42 pts since 2016

From top 15% (2016) to bottom 43% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Georgia Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 3Elementary Schools in the Lumpkin County

59^th of 201Lumpkin County among Georgia districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	37.9	698 of 1219	42.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	57.8	469 of 1238	62.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	59.7	455 of 1236	63.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	67.7	360 of 1223	70.6%	★★★★☆
2022	65.9	384 of 1220	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	73.5	295 of 1214	75.7%	★★★★☆
2019	75.9	266 of 1234	78.4%	★★★★☆
2018	85.5	155 of 1209	87.2%	★★★★☆
2017	84.4	170 of 1205	85.9%	★★★★☆
2016	82.6	182 of 1233	85.2%	★★★★☆
2015	81.6	191 of 1240	84.6%	★★★★☆
2014	81.7	149 of 1231	87.9%	★★★★☆
2013	79.0	217 of 1225	82.3%	★★★★☆
2012	63.8	508 of 1201	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2011	64.7	497 of 1212	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	62.5	499 of 1183	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	56.0	550 of 1133	51.5%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.7	295 of 1134	74.0%	★★★★☆
2007	66.3	400 of 1125	64.4%	★★★☆☆
2006	65.1	433 of 1101	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	39.8	656 of 1186	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	60.7	431 of 1224	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	57.7	458 of 1223	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.9	376 of 1212	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	63.8	394 of 1206	67.3%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	36.7	725 of 1183	38.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	53.8	517 of 1225	57.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.1	448 of 1220	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	68.0	348 of 1210	71.2%	★★★★☆
2022	66.1	372 of 1209	69.2%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2023	55.8	150 of 455	67.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Georgia percentile	Rating
2026	13.7	641 of 700	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	28.4	562 of 769	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.1	574 of 772	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	43.9	420 of 775	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.1	466 of 779	40.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Special Education (2023)67th percentile-4 vs school

Female (2026)45th percentile~ school

Male (2026)39th percentile-4 vs school

White (2026)8th percentile-34 vs school

By subject vs Georgia (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics39%-9 vs state

Science36%-9 vs state

3.0

2 ratings

5★1

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

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Schools Near Cottrell Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				Milestones Assessment Mathematics (2026)			Milestones Assessment Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 3rd Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 4th Grade	Milestones Assessment Mathematics 5th Grade	Milestones Assessment Science 5th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Cottrell Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	220 Pine Tree Way	Dahlonega	30533	Lumpkin County	Lumpkin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 864-3254	583	40	14.5	60.9%	503 (86.3%)	4 (0.7%)	51 (8.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (3.8%)	37.9	698^th of 1219 public elementary schools	42.7%		57.8	469^th of 1238 public elementary schools	62.1%	229	33.4	42.2	41.1	35.5	$14,164	$1,304	$12,860
Long Branch Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4518 Highway 52 E	Dahlonega	30533	Lumpkin County	Lumpkin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 864-5361	403	29	13.8	70.0%	350 (86.8%)	8 (2.0%)	29 (7.2%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	55.2	498^th of 1219 public elementary schools	59.1%		55.8	492^nd of 1238 public elementary schools	60.3%	6	55.3	48.3	41.0	38.6	$14,820	$1,027	$13,793
Blackburn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	45 Blackburn Rd	Dawsonville	30534	Dawson County	Lumpkin County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 864-8180	779	56	13.8	55.1%	653 (83.8%)	9 (1.2%)	78 (10.0%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (4.2%)	65.2	377^th of 1219 public elementary schools	69.1%		71.3	315^th of 1238 public elementary schools	74.6%	62	63.2	50.7	40.8	54.6	$14,172	$938	$13,234
Lanier Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4782 Thompson Bridge Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	Yes	(770) 532-8781	557	36	15.6	62.1%	318 (57.1%)	14 (2.5%)	187 (33.6%)	7 (1.3%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.2%)	38.4	691^st of 1219 public elementary schools	43.3%		49.2	577^th of 1238 public elementary schools	53.4%	114	34.9	47.8	38.4	32.4	$13,101	$674	$12,427
Mount Vernon Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4844 Jim Hood Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	No	(770) 983-1759	650	40	16.1	34.2%	551 (84.8%)	6 (0.9%)	74 (11.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.6%)	68	340^th of 1219 public elementary schools	72.1%		72.6	300^th of 1238 public elementary schools	75.8%	40	57.7	64.9	47.1	44.6	$12,368	$328	$12,040
Robinson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1150 Perimeter Rd	Dawsonville	30534	Dawson County	Dawson County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 265-6544	648	42	15.5	53.7%	547 (84.4%)	3 (0.5%)	77 (11.9%)	6 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.3%)	64.9	380^th of 1219 public elementary schools	68.8%		56.5	483^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	61.0%	103	62.4	46.0	48.1	50.9	$13,574	$521	$13,052
Wauka Mountain Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5850 Brookton Lula Rd	Gainesville	30506	Hall County	Hall County	No	No	No	No	(770) 983-3221	546	33	16.3	44.0%	456 (83.5%)	11 (2.0%)	52 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	21 (3.8%)	60.5	426^th of 1219 public elementary schools	65.1%		61.9	415^th of 1238 public elementary schools	66.5%	11	39.8	52.3	51.7	55.3	$12,887	$324	$12,562
Tesnatee Gap Elementary (Old White County Intermediate)	Public	PK, KG-5	2696 Tesnatee Gap Valley Rd	Cleveland	30528	White County	White County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 865-1037	482	38	12.7	88.4%	436 (90.5%)	4 (0.8%)	17 (3.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (5.0%)	52.6	525^th of 1219 public elementary schools	56.9%		39.4	693^rd of 1238 public elementary schools	44.0%	168	43.2	42.4	50.0	45.0	$17,357	$1,227	$16,130
Kilough Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1063 Kilough Church Rd	Dawsonville	30534	Dawson County	Dawson County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 216-8595	461	32	14.4	51.0%	346 (75.1%)	17 (3.7%)	70 (15.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.6%)	40.2	666^th of 1219 public elementary schools	45.4%		50.3	558^th of 1238 public elementary schools	54.9%	108	44.0	50.1	20.9	37.5	$14,225	$581	$13,644
Mossy Creek Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	128 Horace Fitzpatrick Dr	Cleveland	30528	White County	White County	No	No	No	Yes	(706) 865-5000	427	34	12.7	100.0%	354 (82.9%)	4 (0.9%)	40 (9.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (5.4%)	40.3	665^th of 1219 public elementary schools	45.4%		52.1	537^th of 1238 public elementary schools	56.6%	128	32.9	52.9	32.7	41.4	$15,716	$1,345	$14,371

Frequently Asked Questions about Cottrell Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Cottrell Elementary School?

Students at Cottrell Elementary School are 86% White, 9% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races.

Is Cottrell Elementary School a good school?

Cottrell Elementary School ranks 698^th of 1219 Georgia elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Cottrell Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 583 students attended Cottrell Elementary School.

What district is Cottrell Elementary School in?

Lumpkin County

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Latest Georgia data All new data »

2025–26 attendance dataAug 6, 2026

2025–26 Milestones Assessment scoresAug 6, 2026

2021–22 through 2024–25 Milestones Assessment scores (updated)Aug 6, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesFeb 19, 2026

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Georgia Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.